I’m sure many of us are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. Even if we aren't religious, we know the story inside and out. Adam was alone, God created Eve, Eve sinned, Adam sinned, women are cursed, the end. That’s that, right?
This story has been the justification for the mistreatment of women for years. There are those who believe that because Eve tempted Adam to sin, all women are inferior, weak, and easily overcome. Some cite this account as the beginning of misogynistic tendencies in the Christian Church.
I wish I could say that these allegations of misconduct toward women are invalid, but I cannot. What I can say is that I know this was never God's plan. I believe that the abuse and the manipulation of His daughters hurt God more than it could ever hurt us. I know how much my earthly father loves me and how angry he would be if anyone hurt me, and I can't help but see my heavenly Father reflected in that.
Eve messed up. There's no denying that fact, but maybe we can shed some light on this situation. In my last post in this "series" (God's Daughters: The First Woman), I left off just after the creation of woman. I want to pick up right there.
In Genesis 3, Satan, in the guise of a snake, approaches the woman. Now, why did he approach the woman first? I have actually heard it postulated that, because the woman is the "weaker vessel", Satan found her an easier target than the man.
I don't buy that for a second.
The first thing the snake said was, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'" (Genesis 3:1)? This question is very revealing in a couple of ways. Most importantly, it was a challenge to Eve. What he was really asking was, "Is God so unjust that He won't let you eat any of this delicious-looking fruit?" It was not a fair question, since God had said in the previous chapter that they could eat of the fruit of all the trees of the Garden except one. Secondly, it was phrased negatively - has God said you may not eat. God's original statement was phrased positively - you may eat. Satan's phrasing would immediately make one question the will and the affection of God.
As a loving daughter, Eve tried to defend her Father: "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'" (Genesis 3:2, 3). In her retort, Eve misquoted God. God never said that Adam and Eve could not touch the fruit. In fact, according to the Biblical account, Eve hadn't been created when God gave this particular command. Eve had received her information from Adam. We don't know if Adam told Eve she shouldn't touch the fruit. Perhaps he said that to her in order to ensure her protection, or maybe it was simply a miscommunication. Whatever it was, it caused a major problem, and I believe that the enemy knew it. He knew that Eve had not been given this directive first-hand, so he could manipulate the information to his benefit. It had nothing to do with Eve's physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.
Satan responded by saying, "You will not surely die... For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4, 5). We know what happened next: Eve's eyes were taken off the right path, and she was directed toward doing what she knew to be wrong. Then, she took the fruit. As soon as she touched it and didn't die, Eve must have felt that God was lying to her. She ate the fruit.
Satan was incredibly cunning. Not only did he question what God had said, he caused Eve to question her very identity. He told her that by eating the fruit, she would be like God. Eve had already been created in God's image. She couldn't become any more like God.
One of the questions that comes to mind when pondering these things is... what was Adam doing while his wife was thus tempted? In Genesis 3:6, we find the answer: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it" (emphasis mine). Adam - who had heard God's original command - didn't step in to correct the serpent's sly accusations. Adam didn't protect his wife when her existence was being attacked, and he didn't stop Eve from eating the fruit. This was a monumental failure on his part, and I believe that we have seen the consequences of Adam's inaction in the attitudes and lifestyles of men today. (That's a completely separate topic, however, and I will not address it here.)
Adam fails again when God confronts the couple about their sin. Instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, Adam says, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (Genesis 3:12). Not only does Adam place blame on Eve, he subtly charges God with responsibility for his sin because God's creation had tempted him. I'm sure it must have been a rocky point in Adam and Eve's marriage.
God did not address this issue at that moment. Instead, He turned to Eve and asked for her version of the story. Eve told the truth: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Genesis 3:13). She accepted the consequences of her actions, and she watched as an immovable barrier was constructed between her and her loving Creator.
Yes, Eve had sinned. She had messed up, erred, blundered, but she hadn't ruined everything. Neither had her husband - her partner in crime. There was hope on the horizon, and God loved His children too much to let them go that easily.
Hooray for feminist Christianity. (sarcasm)
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiment that women should not be mistreated (being a woman myself) based upon Eve's mis-step. However, I think that you are reading too far into it by taking select words and phrases and making them into some sort of conspiracy theory. "who was with her" doesn't necessarily mean he was standing right there at the moment of temptation. It could mean he was with her later on, while she was eating it, or even right after. I also think you are downplaying eve's role as a seductress. That doesn't make her evil, but it does offer an explanation for the influence she had over her husband. Rather than inaction, perhaps Adam's love and devotion was to blame for his weakness. And after seeing the error of his ways, and realizing he probably would not have eaten the fruit had not his wife offered it to him, he had every right to be upset at her.
Overall, again, I am not saying that Eve was evil and Adam was good. I'm just saying that you are looking at a few very specific things (with seemingly multiple interpretations) and offering them up as an example of why men shouldn't treat women badly. How about, instead, you say men shouldn't treat women badly because they are people too?
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou're right that I do read a lot into this story, but I don't look at it as a "conspiracy theory". The fact is that the Bible has been used as a weapon against women time and time again. Yes, women should be treated well because they're people, but that has not always happened in Christianity. The simple fact that both men and women were created equally but differently is often overlooked because of misunderstood Bible verses and stories.
I have seen Christian women hurt by these misunderstandings. Some women even accept mistreatment because they think the Bible justifies it. I don't believe this was ever the will of God or the intention of the writers of the Bible. As a woman of faith, I want to try and combat some of the long-held ideals with some of my own ideas about what Scripture says.
You bring up a great point about Adam's love and devotion to his wife. It is entirely possible that his feelings rather than his inaction were responsible for his acceptance of the fruit. What I wrote is my personal opinion and nothing more.
As I wrote when I began this series, I am not always going to be correct. I can only offer my own interpretation and ideas. You are free to disagree with me, but I ask that you do it in a respectful and non-sarcastic way. My hope is that this causes people to critically examine their beliefs and search out the truths in Scripture for themselves.